T
his practice is rated as Good overall. (Previous rating Feb 2015 – Good)
The key questions at this inspection are rated as:
Are services safe? – Good
Are services effective? – Good
Are services caring? – Good
Are services responsive? – Good
Are services well-led? - Good
We carried out an announced comprehensive at Walker Medical Group on 13 November 2018. This was as part of our ongoing inspection programme.
At this inspection we found:
- The practice had clear systems to manage risk so that safety incidents were less likely to happen. When incidents did happen, the practice learned from them and improved their processes.
- The practice routinely reviewed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the care they provided. They ensured that care and treatment was delivered according to evidence- based guidelines.
- The practice planned for and supported patients receiving end of life care, with well-established and embedded processes.
- Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
- Patients found the appointment system easy to use and reported that they were able to access care when they needed it.
- There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement at all levels of the organisation.
The area where the provider should make improvements is:
- Review the process for checking staff suitability for their role, by implementing disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks based on the roles and responsibilities of the job and not the individual staff member employed. Where a DBS check is not required, there should be a clear rationale set out in an appropriate risk assessment.
Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP
Chief Inspector of General Practice
Please refer to the detailed report and the evidence tables for further information.